Ufton Court Frequently Asked Questions

Do the sessions have objectives?

Do you have a list of vocabulary words I can teach my children before the visit?

How will coaches find Ufton Court?

Arrival at the site

Do you have WIFI?

How can our staff help you?

Do you cater for children with special needs?

How do we get help if we need it?

At 3am?

Are there refreshments?

What times do we eat?

My children have dietary requirements. What do I do?

Can you help me with risk assessments?

Why do we need three pairs of shoes?

What happens if a child becomes unwell?

Medicines

Souvenirs

What does our evening feast entail?

What does the Raid involve?

What about our last day?

Do you only teach History?

Do the sessions have objectives?Absolutely! These are on your programme under each session heading. You can talk your children through these before you come and build these in to your planning. You know your children much better than we do, so please feel free to do any pre-learning with

them before their visit, but it would really help us if you didn't cover all the work as we believe children should be learning here at Ufton too.

At Ufton Court, we believe that children should be learning how to think, not just what to think. There are activities where we will be asking them lots of 'why' questions. Often, there is no right or wrong answer as lots of historical thinking is a theory and historical thinking is what we are trying to help you develop in your children. Please allow us to go with the ideas that the children have and develop their historical skills, alongside their historical knowledge.

How will coaches find Ufton Court?

This has been an issue in the past for some Coach companies as they don’t always seem to know the area very well. We have directions on our website which point them to the best route to us, avoiding narrow bridges from the A4. However, this isn’t always looked at, and so a gentle reminder may prevent you having to use the Berkshire scenic tour.

Arrival at the siteWhen you first arrive, there will be a gate that you will have to be buzzed through. This is to help keep our site more secure. There are two buttons

- one for office hours, and one for out of hours. Once you have been greeted, you will be buzzed through. If you are in a coach, please come through to the coach car park. If your staff have driven down by car, they can park in the car car park.

If your parents are doing a drop-off please advise them to drop-off at the coach car park, as it is safer for the children to cross the road there and saves parents blocking up the main car park.

On arrival our staff will meet you in the car park and show you where to go next.

Do the Children make their own beds? Yes! Part of being away is organizing your things and making your bed. We suggest you set it as homework in the few weeks before your visit.

Do you have WIFI? Yes – the WIFI is available around the office area and one of our staff will be able to give you the password when you arrive.

How can our staff help you?We have a whole range of activities to

Some of these can be led by your own staff and are free. However, if you would rather us lead your activities, please let us know on the booking form. Please be aware that this will change the price for the children. The booking form will have the price of the activity next to it.

If you have booked an activity where the children make something, then this will always be led by our staff at no extra cost.

If you are staying for more than one night we now will lead activities during that evening from after dinner until approximately 8pm. We will give you your choice options when you arrive. This is at no extra charge.

Do you cater for children with special needs?Yes! We want children from all backgrounds and abilities to be able to access Ufton Court. We have made adaptations so that all children can access our grounds and house. If you have hearing impaired children, we have a system that links up with a vibrating fire alarm which slips under their pillow. All of our buildings have a ramp to allow wheel chair access. Please telephone and we can discuss ways activities can be adapted to allow everyone to participate. Should a child need a pre-visit to allow them to understand the general surroundings, this can be arranged via the office.

How do we get help if we need it?Our staff want you to have the best visit you can. We are always happy to help with any issue you might have. If you cannot find a member of staff, please pop in to the office and they will locate one of us via a radio.

At 3am?Our Site Manager is on call 24 hours in case of emergency. When you are first settling in to the house, we will show you how you can contact him by phone from where you are staying and he will also introduce himself to you on the first day. If you are having a problem that you need his help with, please feel free to contact him. If you have a

child who needs to leave the site and it is out of office hours, please alert our Site Manager and he will manage the pick-up arrival at the gate for you.

Are there refreshments?Yes - lots! We are told by our schools that Ufton Court has a reputation for feeding you well. There is no need for a first day packed lunch. We will provide you with snacks during break times as well. We also have a tea and coffee station for you to make hot drinks whenever you want. If you would like another drink, please ask and we will do our best to get it to you.

What times do we eat?Breakfast is at 8:15am, morning break around 11am, lunch at 12:45am, mid-afternoon break, and dinner at 5:30pm.

My children have dietary requirements. What do I do?Before your visit, we will send you a bedroom list and dietary list. Please could you note down any special requirements that anyone has on that form and we can cater for them. We need this

information two weeks before your visit. With enough notice, we are used to catering for all kinds of different dietary needs.

Can you help me with risk assessments?Our risk assessemnts are called RAMS documents (Risk Assessment Method Statement) and are available on our website at: http://www.uftoncourt.co.uk/schools/essential-resources and then by clicking on the Health and Safety link. Please feel free to refer to our documents when drawing up your own risk assessments.

Why do we need three pairs of shoes?The children are out around our grounds and sometimes there is a lot of mud. We want to prevent the children from treading this mud in to the house or cabins. When you first arrive, it would really help if their indoor shoes are easily accessible as they may have their first

morning break-time indoors and need to change. It will help a lot if the children could bring their indoor shoes in a separate bag to their suitcase/luggage.

The last pair of shoes should be a black pair of shoes for the feast night.

What happens if a child becomes unwell?All our staff are first aid trained (either paediatric or outdoor first aid) and can deal with any incident you might have. If a child has vomitted, our policy is to send them home as soon as

possible to prevent others becoming susceptible to any virus that might be around. All accidents must be reported to the office.

If a child becomes too unwell two weeks before meaning they are unable to attend, please let us know as we will not charge you for that child.

MedicinesWe understand that all schools need to bring medicinces and have provided a cabinet where you can lock these away from other children. We will show you where this is when you first arrive.

SouvenirsWe do offer souvenirs, but do not have a shop. If you wish to buy souvenirs, please fill out and return the souvenir form that came with your booking form and we can get them ready for your visit. Payment for souvenirs will be included in the invoice that we send you.

What does our evening feast entail?We put on a historical feast, where the children dress up in costume and take on a character. They then process to our feasting hall where they dine on historical dishes. We then move on to

other activities such as dancing, playing games, or drama. If you wish and have time, you can ask the children to prepare a ‘turn’ for the feast so that they come prepared with something that would entertain that period in history. We love hearing children tell corny jokes to each other and this makes it more memorable and fun. Every child who goes to a feast evening remembers so much about it - who they danced with, what they wore. It's a real occasion. Please encourage the children to save some camera space for their feast!

What does the Raid involve?Our Raids are based on historical events, usually around Ufton Court. The children get to act out a part and re-live the events about what happened. The children get props to

help them act out their part and are advised on what happened next in history. Our Raids are always taught by two of our staff.

What about our last day?

On your last day with us, you will have to strip the beds, then vacate the bedrooms before breakfast and bring down all your luggage and belongings downstairs. Our staff will show you where these should go after breakfast and then you carry on with your other activities. You will have a picnic lunch on this day, which you will have previously ordered.

Do you only teach History?

No - we have Environmental Science activities as well - pond dipping or net sweeping, as well as Archery and a Low Ropes course. We also teach key Geography skills such as map reading or route planning, such as map reading, and use our woods for off-site walks. These activities are all about helping the children learn about our environment and the creatures that live there, and also how to grow in confidence and take on new challenges that they may have not faced.

Do you have a list of vocabulary words I can teach my children before the visit?Yes! Please feel free to go through these before your visit and cover their meanings. We will refer to these words when you come and to enable the children to use these words confidently, it would be good if they have heard them several times before your visit.

word meaningarchaeologist A person who finds out about the past by looking at old objects

or buildings that are often buried under the ground.barbarian Someone believed to be uncivilised and violent.Boudicca A warrior queen of the Iceni tribe, who famously fought the

Romans.Celts People who live throughout Europe, who fought the Romans.chariot A cart with two wheels which was pulled by horses.

daub A sticky material made from mud, straw/reeds and animal dung and hair.

druid The priest of the Celtic religion.hearth A fireplace, usually in the middle of the long house, with no

chimney.hill fort Where a group of round houses was built on the top of a hill.Iceni The name of one of the Celtic tribes.round house A round building made from wattle and daub walls; the roof was

thatched with locally found materials such as straw, reeds or turf.

loom A device for weaving cloth from spun yarn.runes The letters of the Anglo-Saxon alphabet.settlement A place where groups of people made their home, often from the

same tribe. Walled settlements were surrounded by a wattled fence for protection.

spindle Item used for creating yarn from sheep’s wool.

tribe A group of people who shared a common background and culture. Individuals were fiercely loyal to their tribe.

tunic An item of clothing worn by men on their top half, reaching half way down to their knees.

wattling A method of weaving with strips of wood to create fencing and walls.

woad A blue dye used widely by the Celts to dye their clothes and paint their bodies before going into battle.

yarn Thread created from linen or wool by spinning, used to make fabric for example - Celt clothing.